


Riding trains and other activities

by writingshirbert



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 05:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21405028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingshirbert/pseuds/writingshirbert
Summary: Set after the mess that is 3x08. Starts right after Anne admits she is in love with Gilbert and is now set on not letting him propose to Winifred.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 16
Kudos: 77





	Riding trains and other activities

**Author's Note:**

> I have to warn you, I don't know if this is because I'm on my period (TMI, lock me up) but I cried after reading this, so just putting that out there. Yeah, I know it's sad to cry at something I wrote, but... Shut up, nobody's perfect.

**Anne**

As Anne ran through the fields to Gilbert's house, the last words to escape her lips were echoing in her head. _I'm in love with Gilbert Blythe_... Something in her has shifted, yes, she did always put her foot in with Gilbert, but there was something about picturing him getting married to someone else that made her blood boil. It was the shove she needed to acknowledge her feelings, to know for sure that what she felt wasn't a childish crush, but something much more, something she now knew he felt too. She regretted not telling him when he came to her, not throwing herself at him and locking their lips in a warm kiss or at least just saying something other than that mess of words that came out of her mouth. _Pirates, really Anne?_

Maybe she wasn't a perfect beauty of many suitors, but now she knew that's not what she wanted. Reading stories where the heroine has to overcome great obstacles to confess her feelings to her true love always seemed exciting, but being faced with this situation, branches popping under her feet as she ran, she felt horrified. It was good knowing what she felt, finally, but she couldn't help but think she was too late. What if he had already proposed?

Not bothering to knock she stormed in through the front door, waking up Delphine in the process. The cries of the little girl filled the kitchen, bouncing off the walls of Blythe-Lacroix farmhouse. Bash emerged from the pantry and gave her a confused look. "Please, tell me he hasn't left already..."

Sebastian's face lit up. "Take our horse, you can still make it to the train station."

She was ever so grateful for Bash while getting up on their horse, she had no idea what she would do if he hadn't helped her. Bash put an assuring hand on her shoulder and winked. "Gilbert told me you turned him down."

She didn't have time to explain that she didn't in fact turn him down, but just rambled a bunch of very confusing things.

"I made a huge mistake."

Bash nodded and watched her ride off. Air was hot and she was sweating, having just ran and now riding she felt as if her whole body was a furnace and the sun wasn't helping to cool her down. She barely cared though, only having one thing on her mind on her way to the train station. _How much time do I have??_

Arriving at the train station she jumped off her horse quicker than ever before and didn't even bother tying him up, she saw Mr Thomas Lynde and just placed the reins in his hands as she was running by. She didn't turn around for his reaction, knowing he will probably just mutter something about her being wild and irresponsible under his breath, but tie the horse down somewhere and complain to Rachel later on. She saw the train was still there and hurried to it, catching Gilbert's face in one of the windows. He was seated on the farther side, turned away, sitting next to an older gentleman. She tried to run inside, but she was stopped by the new trainmaster, one she had never seen before.

"Do you have a ticket, young lady?"

"No, but I'm not going anywhere. I just really need to talk to my friend, he's headed to Charlottetown and about to make a terrible mistake. Please, you have to let me in. I'll be out in two seconds, I promise," Anne pleaded, but his face remained stone cold.

"All passengers must have a ticket to board. Do you want to buy one?"

Anne mentally scolded herself for not bringing any money for train fare, a few tears escaping her eyes in desperation. She jumped in front of one of the windows, waving and yelling, but Gilbert didn't notice any of that. She saw a middle-aged lady getting on the train and stopped her. "Please, would you please give my friend a message. He's sitting in this wagon and he has a suit on. Young, dark hair, handsome, right by the window. Could you please tell him not to propose? He'll know what it means." The lady nodded and got on, it was already last call and the train began moving. The trainmaster was watching her closely, so there was nothing else she could do. Anne watched the lady through the window as she passed Gilbert without looking, stopping at an entirely different seat and leaning in to say something to a boy Anne's never seen before. _That's it, I'm screwed_, she thought.

**Gilbert**

The train ride was pretty uneventful. He had a thousand questions running through his head, totally disregarding his surroundings. It seemed as if it was just a minute when the train stopped in Charlottetown, Gilbert so lost in his thoughts he almost missed his stop. He thought mainly about what he was going to say to Winifred, struggling to find the right words. He wanted to frame it right, big confessions of love seeming way out of place, which was natural... They were lies. He wanted to say he had fallen in love with her, or that she would make him the happiest man on Earth, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He felt a little like a fraud coming up with those words, the marriage seeming more like a business transaction rather than a fellowship. He had wondered on many occasions what he, an orphaned farm boy, had to offer to a high-class girl like Winifred. Her father had cleared that up for Gilbert at their last meeting, basically saying they wanted someone with great ambitions, seeing as they had the money and the friends to make those dreams happen. Does Winnie even love him? Nothing she had said or done has pointed to it, that he was sure of. She must know this courtship is heading to marriage and she seems to be okay with it being a passionless one. So maybe she isn't expecting a huge confession, but rather something simple. It was obvious they were keen on each other, both finding their conversations especially easy yet pleasant. It wasn't like he was proposing to a person that he didn't like, right? They were friends and they would make fine companions. But then why was it so hard?

Time moves rather strangely when one has a burden troubling his mind, Gilbert thought as he entered a small restaurant and found Winifred with his eyes, already seated at one of the tables. Halfway through lunch she excused herself to go talk to a friend she saw through the the window. Gilbert took that time to fish for the ring in his pocket, but his fingers clutched onto something else. He pulled the object out and looked at it. It was Anne's pen. Anne. Suddenly, Mary's words of marrying for love were the only thing he could focus on, his hands and knees trembling so much he managed to drop his wine glass on the table and break it, attracting everyone's eyes to himself. That was when Winnie came back and ran to the table.

"Are you all right?"

Gilbert looked at his hand and saw he was bleeding, surprised.

"No, I'm not. I can't do this."

**Anne**

She wasn't sure why she stayed at the train station. Mr Lynde sat with her for a while, listening to her desperate sobs and stroking her back. She was pretty sure she was close to falling into the depths of despair once again, only a small flicker of hope occupying her thoughts. Maybe the lady realized she wasn't talking to the right boy and had found Gilbert afterwards, or maybe Gilbert overheard them and caught a glimpse of Anne at the train station. Maybe he's already sitting on the train back, hurrying to her. Or maybe he changed his mind. Or Winifred refused his offer.

Or maybe she's a delusional fool, who missed her single chance at true love. That one seemed the most plausible. She spent some time talking to the lovely cherry tree that caught her eyes when she first came to Avonlea. She knew she could find no answers to her troubles in it's blossoms, but it was soothing to think she might. Time has passed. Anne stood in front of every single arriving train, hoping. But it seemed she was wrong. She wanted to go home... He would've been back by now had he not been celebrating his engagement. Huh, engagement, such a funny word... He spelled it wrong one time in class. Maybe it was a universal sign she had missed.

Something made her stay. Anne didn't expect him to return any time soon, but she couldn't get back to Matthew and Marilla in this state. She saw another train arriving at the station, stood up and walked to it automatically. She wasn't eyeing the passengers anymore as she was feeling rather hopeless in that moment, but then she heard a familiar voice shout her name.

"Anne? Are you leaving somewhere?" Gilbert appeared in front of her, shocking her greatly. He looked confused, so he couldn't have gotten her message. Anne took a deep breath.

"I, uh, no, I'm not... I don't know what I'm doing here..." was all she could get out.

"Well, do you want to go for a walk?"

The suggestion appeared attractive to her, her limbs had gotten quite stiff after sitting around all day. She nodded. They walked in silence for a bit, Gilbert clearly expecting an explanation. She didn't even know where to start.

"Why is my horse here–"

"So, how is engaged life–?"

Anne gasped, she didn't think that part through. She gestured towards a bench and they both took a seat.

"I'm sorry, Gilbert... I shouldn't have come here.

"I'm always happy to see you, you know that. But I'm confused–"

Anne exhaled, playing with the reins on his horse. "I need to confess something."

She looked at him, half expecting him to argue, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I lied to you," she started. "The other day. You said something about there only being a one thing holding you back... Now, I don't even know if I interpreted it the right way, but in case I did... I know Paris is your dream and I know that the world holds great things for you. You have such a bright future in front of you and this marriage is the easiest way to it, so I can't believe I'm asking you this, but... Please, don't marry Winifred. I mean, it's your decision and I don't ever want to hold you back. You deserve the world, Gilbert, you really do. Um... I, uh..."

"Anne–" Gilbert started, eager to continue.

"I only said no because I could never offer you any of those things. Now, I know it doesn't really matter, since you have already proposed, but... If there's even a flicker of hope that your feelings for me are the same as mine, then please consider not going through with the wedding. I won't be angry if you do, go through with it I mean, in fact I will be seated the very front row in church, clapping loudly, as I am your biggest fan, Gilbert Blythe. And I always will be."

Anne couldn't believe how emotional that confession had made her, her eyes all wet and cheeks flushed with pink, but she didn't care. Gilbert was staring right into her soul, with one of the looks he had reserved only for Anne, completely oblivious of that fact. He took a step forward and took Anne's hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it gently. Her face was a mix of confusion, tears and happiness.

"I didn't propose," Gilbert said, shocking her.

"Why?"

"You know why."

And with that Anne burst into joyful tears, clutching onto his body desperately in a tight hug. She didn't know what the future held for them, or if they'd ever have the chance to achieve half as much as they would with rich, well-known families, but who could care when they made each other way happier than diplomas or big houses full of fancy things ever would?

"I love you, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert," he said and she couldn't help but love the way those words rolled off his tongue, wanting to hear it every day, as much as possible. "Now, will you please tell me what my horse is doing here?"

She laughed and shook her head. It was fun to tease him about on their way to Green Gables and she was sure Bash would explain everything once he got home. Their parting was especially hard, one reason being that Gilbert didn't want to let her go, and the other that she too, secretly didn't want to leave his side.

"We have the rest of our life to spend and cherish together," Anne said when she couldn't get out from their departure hug. Gilbert was awfully set on not letting her leave yet.

"Yes, we do. But that doesn't mean you can't invite me up to dinner." She narrowed her eyes at him, but nodded and took his hand. Fingers intertwined they entered Green Gables, nearly giving Matthew Cuthbert a heart attack, but all in good nature. All through dinner Gilbert kept shooting her silly faces and she wiggled her eyebrows at every one. Marilla noticed it, scolding them for behaving like children, but Anne couldn't bring herself to feel embarrassed. She was so happy, she actually thought her heart might implode.

Gilbert and Anne shared their first kiss that night, one of many to come, as they were saying goodbye at the gate. It was short and sweet, but both of them knew they would never be able to forget it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, let me know by leaving a comment! I think they might do something similar in the show next episode, but knowing Moira it will probably just end up breaking our hearts.
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr at @tvaddict24!  
If you have any prompts, or simply if you just want to theorize about the season finale ;)
> 
> Also, if you liked this fanfiction, check out my other ones! I have plenty...


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